Phil Aves, Pennant 4

Pakefield Cliffs – A moment in time.

I have chosen Pakefield Cliffs as my Beach of Dreams mile because it holds a special place for me. In times of trouble or times when I need to think I go back here to find peace and tranquil space to think things through. It has been my saviour many times.

It opens with a wide beach of well-rounded pebbles that have been shaped by time itself, and the fishing boats sit patiently on the stony beach waiting to be let loose into the shimmering sea. As you crunch along the stony pebbles that move away under your feet, like a million small crabs, you come to grassy dunes and open space where even the bravest tides do not reach. Then finally you start to see sand beneath your feet again and a towering back drop of sand colour cliffs hold you in, secure between the cliff face and the shimmering sea. You are not trapped, but free to walk ahead to an open expanse that heads towards Kessingland beach.

The Cliffs have been battered and driven back by the braver tide that reaches them here, as you look at the exposed face of the cliff you can see the layers of time exposed for the first time in millions of years. The colours are just beautiful and changing layers of colour fill the face of the Cliff. Each time more cliff is wiped clean another new face appears. You wonder what that world has seen, Pakefield Man 700,000 years ago was here, what did he leave behind ?

And soon you have walked your mile and you just feel different and able to walk back. The Sea shimmers over the pebbles creating the most amazing patterns in the wake of the waves and that is what makes Pakefield Cliffs mile the greatest place and a moment in time.